(Behind) Crimson eyes
by Lawliet Mikami
Summary: Light vs L, but perhaps not in the way most people would think. L is a genius, and Light is... well, he's something else. Rated T for safety, rating may change. Also slight AU. May contain BoyxBoy material or opportunities for such, but is not guaranteed.
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer:**

I'm neither Obha-san, Obata-san nor do I own any Death Note.

...end of disclaimer...

* * *

.

.

_- Prologue -_

.

Decaying carcasses, pools of dried up blood. Scent of flesh burning.  
Who would ever had thought that when everything had been said and done, all of it had been reduced to this?  
It certainly wasn't a pleasant sight to a tiny boy the ripe age of 6.  
While unquestionable the whole ordeal had been his fault, with no one else to confirm his sins,

he remained guiltless in front of his approaching death.  
The tiny boy, neither more flawed nor innocent than anyone else, was left to his fate.  
If the gods had been sentient beings in the same manner as you'd think of humans,

the boy certainly would have met a swift end out of pity.  
The gods weren't sentient, nor did they feel pity.  
The decaying world could always be replaced by others.  
For as long as the gods had existed, such occurrences had already taken place twice.  
Perhaps there was some underlying purpose behind the catchphrase "Trice, and we got a deal!" after all.  
Who would ever had thought that?

.

Two millenias had gone to past since the old world was replaced by the new one.  
It looked the same, felt the same and, for the many nut jobs out there, even tasted the same.  
Only three things had certainly changed.  
For the first time, the world had been given an own personal name and was nowadays commonly referred to as Earth.  
The second thing that had changed was the populace that now freely inhabited this new realm.  
Considering how closely related they were to the Old Ones,

it was remarkable how easily their beliefs could be swayed, bought, twisted and tarnished.

.  
Only 1% still truly believed.  
Only they could be the ones to die for everyone's safety.  
Only they could be Earth's hope against an old evil lurking.  
The lurking evil that haunted the unsuspecting in their dreams.  
The one who made all your fears come true with a smile on his angelic face.  
The one whose mind was so utterly twisted with good motives.  
The lurking evil that laughed at your pain, ignored your tears.  
The one who had no peace of mind.  
The one who had begun everything anew.  
The one neither more flawed nor innocent than anyone else.  
And lastly... the boy had returned.

* * *

.

.

AN:

_Although it may not show in the prologue,_

_this __is__ supposed to be a Death Note story._

_There will be no pairings (that I'm aware of), main protagonists will be Light and L._

_You could say that (__**Behind) crimson eyes**__ is a Death Note/Last name remake, I suppose._

_Never given that much thought, actually._

_Moving on... if the first chapter "Awakening" does proceed in the way I imagine it will,_

_it will bear slight similarity to the the manga's first chapter and from there evolve into something less predictable._

_I do have lots of ideas I hope to bring to "Crimson eyes", after all._

_Also, a slice of pie for whoever can guess who the "boy" spoken of in the prologue is._

_Have a nice day, everybody!_

_Sincerely/ L. Mikami_


	2. Chapter I - Awakening

**Disclaimer**:  
I'm neither Obha-san, Obata-san nor do I own any Death Note.  
...end of disclaimer...

.

.

Chapter I - Awakening

.

They say that taking the lives of others turns to a routine once you've gotten accustomed to it.  
As if the sense of guilt gradually vanishes by the philosophy of the old cliché; "If you'd killed one, you might as well kill two."

It doesn't really matter how many times you've done it in the past or how many times you will do it in the future,

the guilt will still be there even if you try to justify the deeds with some strange fashion of morality.  
I don't claim to be a being with morals in the sense a human most certainly would.  
I think that my actions more or less speak for themselves.  
However, no matter how deranged my mind may seem, my conscience is still clear.  
My soul, if I'd ever believed to be in possession of such, is 100% pure.  
With that said, how can I do what I do?  
For what reason can I shed blood so effortlessly, so guiltless?  
I suppose the major reason is that I am the way I was fashioned to be.  
Also, one reason could be because I was too young to understand my actions

when the first life was taken by these cursed eyes.  
These cursed eyes of mine with a red hue.

.

-*Time skip, one hour earlier*-

.

It was late in the afternoon when one young male in the age of seventeen could be seen

walking away from the Gamou Prep Academy's school building.  
If people had paid any close attention to this bored brown haired boy,

they would've noticed the strange hue of red clouding his otherwise hazelnut brown eyes.

They didn't pay any attention so they didn't notice, but that's not to say that nobody noticed,

for somebody - or rather something - did notice.  
The currently invisible form of the death god Ryuk was paying close attention to the brown haired boy six foot below him.  
It had started off as a simple observe and retrieve mission.  
Ryuk knew, however, that the boy wouldn't come back nor he should.  
It certainly was a dilemma. Should he abide by the rules, or simply ignore them?  
Ah, decisions, decisions...  
.

.  
(Light's POV)

.

Already on my way back home, I'd had this weird feeling,

the kind of feeling people have when they just know something bad will happen.  
The moment I reached for the doorknob, I knew that something was amiss but couldn't put my finger on what.  
Shrugging it off, I slipped a piece of paper with my pre-grades and proceeded

to walk up the staircase leading the way up to my room.  
I closed the door, locking it - more out of habit than out of need - and fell into a slouched form on the floor.  
For some reason I felt as though my very being was tearing itself apart by an unknown source.  
Taking a few deep breaths in a futile attempt to calm my nerves, I heaved myself up and then sat down in front of my desk,

absentmindedly turning on the news cast.

.

(Third person's POV)

.

"...killed and wounded six people..."  
'So what? Things like that is an everyday occurrence.'  
"...still barricaded inside this nursery school..."  
'Not my problem, mister.'  
"...including little children..."

.

At the mention of the children and the older 8 hostages, Light woke up from his daze

and turned his piercing eyes towards the TV with interest.  
'There's still living people in there? Why isn't the NPA doing something about it?!'  
Listening to the report, Light felt the anger that had laid dormant for the most part of his life

slowly break out of the mental bonds used to keep it under control.  
Really, what was the world coming to, letting filth like Otoharada be around to harm the innocents?  
People like him should just _die_!  
Light knew that he shouldn't think like that, and that if his father had known

he'd be deeply disappointed with his son, but he couldn't help it.  
Just this once, Light wished that Otoharada would experience the same kind of despair

his victims had felt at their moments of death.  
Just this once, he wished that Kurou Otoharada would die.  
And then, something he never would've thought possible happened.

.

Light stared at the TV screen, frozen in his seat.  
One minute the situation was unchanged, and the next...  
Just what in the world was going on?  
As he payed close attention to the newscaster's speech, disbelief washed over him.  
Sure, the 42 year old was old enough for a natural heart attack taking into consideration

the stress and sleep deprivation the man had endured for the past 48 hours, but still...  
Somehow to him, it seemed a tad _too_ convenient.  
Light was brought out of his spinning thoughts by the sound of an ominous chuckle.  
His whole being filled with dread, Light turned to look over his shoulder where the chuckling sound had come from.  
The only thing that prevented Light from crying out in shock and fright, was the headache slowly seeping into his mind like poison.  
Staring at the creature in front of him, Light shuddered and then asked with an uncharacteristically tiny voice; "W-who...? What are you?"  
Ryuk chuckled, amused by the fact that Light had no memory of him.  
"Why, I'm Ryuk, commonly known as death god."  
Ryuk grinned savagely. "Have you missed me, _cousin_?"

.

.

.

AN:  
Ok, that's the end of the first chapter.

I realize that it must have been just as much a snore-fest for you to read,

as it was for me to write, but it had to be done.  
The story wouldn't have worked if it had started any other way.  
Currently, I've already written the first part of chapter two.  
I won't spoil it, but I can tell you that familiar faces will be seen.  
That's enough of this author's note-business for this time.  
Oh, yeah, second chapter's name will most likely be called "Headquarters".  
With that said, I wish you all a fine day.  
Sincerely/L. Mikami


End file.
